秋收 (harvest in the fall/autumn), nay, 秋耕 (cultivating in the fall)

Fall is traditionally a harvest time, thus 秋收 (harvest in the fall/autumn).  But, we’re still cultivating the winter veggies, thus 秋耕 (cultivating in the fall).

Our garden is not static.  Clearing up the corn field made space for chrysanthemum leaves (also known as ‘tong ho’ or 茼蒿) and 小白菜 (Pak-choi, Chinese mustard or Chinese white cabbage).  They have come out, waiting to be transplanted when the time comes.

Knowing these are my favorite, Janice asked me why I waited this long to plant.  They do not do well with the hot summer.  In fact, the Taiwanese name of ‘tong ho’ (茼蒿) is (冬兒 or Tần ô), that 冬 is ‘winter’.  Tong-ho leaf is an essential ingredient of Taiwanese oyster omelettes (蚵阿煎)—an exquisite dish.

 

A dynamic garden

I like to liken visiting our garden to reading a book that Katy and I are writing.  If you visit once you would read one of the, say, ten chapters of the book.  Jo was home in June and again about two weeks ago when Janice and Joy came home.  Janice said the chapter (I would say Chapter 8) she read was the most exciting one—the climax of the story of the garden.  Jo read both Chapter 4 and 8 and the difference of which can be appreciated by these two photos.

6/24/12

The first photo was taken 6/24/12 in Section 5N where Jo was planting marigolds whereas the second was taken (also Section 5N) on 8/17/12, four days after Janice and Joy left.

Our garden is dynamic, the scenery changed as time went by.  So if one wants to know the whole story of our garden, read the entire book and come to see us often.

8/17/12

In a letter to her brother, Austin, Emily Dickinson wrote a poem that ends with,

Prithee, my brother

Into my garden come!

“Prithee” comes from “pray thee” which is used to express a wish or request for something to be done; something like “please”.  Let me paraphrase her,

Prithee, my [Facebook] friends,

Into my garden come!

A carpet or embroidery of flowers

Last night I posted a carpet of marigolds and suspected Shakespeare might be the first one to use “carpet” to describe a sea of flowers; one can also see “embroidery” used in flowery literature. These photos can attest to it.

7/12/12

7/12/12

8/22/12

8/22/12

8/22/12

A carpet of marigolds

Was Shakespeare the first one using “carpet” to describe a sea of flowers?  The following is from Act 4 Scene 1 in Pericles, Prince of Tyre, in which Marina (the daughter of Pericles) laments her deceased nurse (nurse in Shakespeare’s days meant nanny) when he wrote,

The purple violets, and marigolds,

Shall, as a carpet [see photo below], hang upon thy grave,

8/27/12

MARINA

No, I will rob Tellus of her weed,

To strew thy green with flowers: the yellows, blues,

The purple violets, and marigolds,

Shall as a carpet hang upon thy grave,

While summer-days do last. Ay me! poor maid,

Born in a tempest, when my mother died,

This world to me is like a lasting storm,

Whirring me from my friends.

Right before Marina enters the stage, Dionyza was urging Leonine (the hired murderer) to kill Marina,

DIONYZA

Thy oath remember; thou hast sworn to do't:

'Tis but a blow, which never shall be known.

Thou canst not do a thing in the world so soon,

To yield thee so much profit. Let not conscience,

Which is but cold, inflaming love i' thy bosom,

Inflame too nicely; nor let pity, which

Even women have cast off, melt thee, but be

A soldier to thy purpose

LEONINE

I will do't; but yet she is a goodly creature.

DIONYZA

The fitter, then, the gods should have her. Here

she comes weeping for her only mistress' death.

Thou art resolved?

These lines show Dionyza is as wicked, if not as famous, as Lady Macbeth, when she urges her husband to kill King Duncan, impugning his manliness, inciting him to “screw up his courage”.  Shakespeare knew how to make his wicked women heartless.

8/22/12

This is Shangri La heaven on earth: Great minds think alike

8/22/12

“范姜宗霖 簡直是人間仙境，香格里拉人間天堂”.

The above is a FB comment on Katy’s post commenting on the vibrant and vivacious zinnia (on Section 5N).  My translation would be “This is paradise on earth; this is Shangri La heaven on earth”.

This is from Katy’s FB “friend” from Taiwan, who is apparently not aware I named the central road in the garden “Shangri La Blvd”.  It is time for me to have a post about Shangri La Blvd, showing 范姜宗霖 unabashedly that great minds think alike :- )

These photos are captioned with dates so you can see the different scenery as time went by.

7/11/12

8/26/12

8/26/12

8/26/12

7/1/12

7/3/12

8/26/12

6/26/12 night view

8/1/12

7/13/12

6/10/12

6/14/12

6/7/12

 

Throwing and splattering tomatoes against the wall

This is Baby Blues comic strip last week; it is about throwing and splattering tomato against the wall.  Hammie is a 7-year-old mischievous kid.  I was hoping Ben can be like Hammie, wanting to throw tomatoes and Katy, is like Wanda (mother in the comic strip), would also allow me throw a tomato or two.  Then we will no longer be inundated with tomatoes.  Problem solved!

No wasted life for most of our marigolds

As I said marigolds and zinnia are the staples of our garden; they are every where.  These photos of marigolds were taken today (8/22/12); they’re still going on strong, despite the fact that Labor Day is fast approaching, marking the end of summer.  Most of our marigolds enjoy a long and prosperous life, not a wasted life with a few exceptions, such as the last photo.